This performance was based on a multimedia adaptation of the play 1984. Therefore we used many multimedia techniques to make this performance. I had never worked with multimedia before so it was a new experience. I had to pick up the techniques of using multimedia in all its forms quickly to enable time to plan, organise and use different technical elements. Video tutorials helped and also the input from other people in my class who had more experience with this area of technical theatre.
Multimedia comes in many different forms. It can be visual, oral or aural. These include things like lighting sound, recordings, videos, songs, dance, props and costume. All these types of multimedia can vary also. For example in the canteen their were props that the audience could handle and look at, like the posters and jars of food on the shelves, but there was also edible props in the form of soup and bread, both of which added to performance. Each piece of multimedia was there to support the acting and enhance it. It stimulated the audiences imagination and got them involved which is very important, especially in immersive theatre.
In many performance you will see lighting, sound and props being used to make the performance interesting. However in this performance it wasn't an extra detail to make the play look pretty, it was another performance in itself and the multimedia needed to perform like the actors; efficiently and professionally. In a group of actors someone needs to be well briefed on their task and they need to perform to a high standard. If they don't, they affect the performance of those around them in a negative way and the audience lose concentration of the story they're watching. The same principle applies to multimedia. If the multimedia isn't well planned it will not perform well and in turn will make the world you are trying to create less believable. Therefore time and effort was needed to make the multimedia precise and clear.
Suspension of disbelief is something very present within our performance of 2050. For the performance to be effective you needed the audience to want to believe in the world of the play. Otherwise our jobs as actors became a lot harder as the story we are trying to sell and the world we were wanting to create isn't bought by the audience and we are therefore not fulfilling our roles as actors to entertain and inform. When you need the audience to be involved in the piece they need to believe that they are part of the world for it to work.
To get the audience involved we used a prop to engage them and create the atmosphere of entrapment, control and strict ruling from a higher power. We made them all wear surgical masks. We said that they might be carrying diseases that we didn't want spread. The masks were suffocating which ties in with the theme of the performance. The characters may feel suffocated by the oppressive figure of Big Brother. As we wanted the audience to feel on edge and like they had entered a new world that was completely different from the one they were living in 10 minutes ago. The numbers on the masks also stripped them of their human qualities and made them feel no more than a number. The masks created performance opportunities for us because we could question them if they weren't wearing masks and we could call them by the numbers on their masks.
When the audience walked around another element that grabbed their attention was the costume of some of the performers. The 101 tortures were wearing boiler suits, the trainers were wearing yellow mackintoshes and the anti-sex league were wearing red scarves. This costume separated these groups of people and intrigued the audience to watch them and follow them around. When the anti-sex league did their talk the audience may have followed because of what they were wearing. The rest of us were wearing dull clothes, mainly black and white and this meant that the audience may have also felt alienated because of their clothing.
The performance was sight specific. This meant that the building we performed in was made for the play we were performing. As a school as an institutional feeling about it, a place were rules are present and people are orderly and failure to comply with the rules result in punishment. All of these themes link to the story 1984. Every sight where a performance took place included some form of multimedia.
The Food Hall- in the food hall there were many examples of multimedia. There was a constant video of people from within the 2015 world talking about the world the audience had entered. I was included in the video as O'Brien's PA and I talked about how people who defied O'Brien and Big Brother were shameful and disgraceful. This made the audience feel like they were being watched and scrutinized. There was the sound of the three slogans 'War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery and Ignorance Is Strength,' on repeat which was a constant reminder to the audience of the rules of the world and how alien this world was compared to 2014 England. The wall was covered in posters linking to the party meaning wherever the audience looked they saw something advertising the party giving a constant presence.
Room 101- as room 101 is a torture room the multimedia in this room added to the tense environment the audience entered. There was a projection of an eye operation which is haunting and disgusting, but also there is a constant glare from an eye, an eye of someone in pain- it is almost like they're asking you for help. There was a constant sound of a baby crying. As many of the audience were parents their reaction to this was to run and help the child in distress but they knew it wasn't real. However the repetition slowly got into their heads and played with their minds and thoughts. There was a bright flash light in the corner creating an intense atmosphere, but also a heat. This made the room stuffy and similar to the masks, suffocating. The blood on the clothes and faces of the workers is also a sickening sight. Many people don't like the sight of blood so the overall feeling of room 101 was to leave as soon as possible; though this wasn't always possible.
Stanley's Apartment- there was the sound of a radio show on loop playing music and news that had been recorded to sound like something from the world of Airstrip One. It also created an eerie feeling. Many people in the room were silent but there was still a constant voice. There was also a video of training which encouraged people to go and see the training for themselves.
O'Brien's Office- this was the only room that used theatrical light. When O'Brien made his speeches the spotlight was on him drawing all focus and attention to what he was saying. It also made the audience feel uneasy as he was the only one in the light and the rest were left in the dark. The computers also created light, but they were also a prop. When the audience walked over they could see the workers looking at audience profiles or searching CCTV footage.
Space- this was were the group hate took place and at that time a projection of the 'criminals' were put up on the wall for the people to shout at. The audience may have found this disorientating. They could clearly see someone trying to talk, but the shouting of the crowd was so loud that it muted the confessions. The X's on the floor were very formal, placing the audience on exact spots and making them feel like a chess piece- being moved around at the pleasure of their 'hosts.'
Lecture Theatre- lighting played a big part in this space. Before the audience entered they were taken through in to a porch, the lights were turned off and they were left for 10 seconds. They then walked in and the light they saw was the glaring light of the incsog logo. The incsog logo was shown through a Prezi. This was an efficient way to brief the audience on everything that they were going to witness, but in a way that still made the scene and information believable.
As you can see from all I have evaluated multimedia played a key role in our performance of 2050. Without it the performance may not have been as effective and would have certainly given the audience less to engage with. Even though some of the multimedia got cut because of problems and technical issues, these are all human errors that can't be avoided. With more time maybe the problems could've been solved, however time is a luxury we don't have and we worked around the issues to make the performance as creative and effective as possible. However on the whole the multimedia was successful and I was happy with mine and the overall performance. Everyone stayed in character and the audience got involved and 'suspended their disbelief.' Though multimedia is difficult at times I would like to use it again and build my knowledge and experience.
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
The Theatrical Performance
When we started devised practical work we were shown different resources to aid us when we started preparing our performances. We were shown firstly aiding videos linking to Prezi and how to use multimedia in a performance. Both of these resources were useful because they showed me the basics of the knowledge I would be developing throughout the term. One the most useful sources was watching the film of 1984. This gave us ideas to include in our own performances and gave us a visual and creative example of the characters, props and settings. This allowed us to take ideas and then make them our own, adapting them for our own take on the scenes we'd seen in the film.
We were asked to create a piece of multimedia theatre based on the story of 1984. According to the Assignment Brief my task was made up of four sections: to take part in multimedia workshops, rehearse our performance, perform our play and research to create our blog. All of these elements where key to creating a good performance and without one of them the rest didn't work or weren't as effective.
The topics, themes and issues we wanted to show in our performance of 1984 was the robotic state of the citizens of Airstrip One and their loyalty to Big Brother. We showed this through the characters in our room. Every single person was completely loyal to Big Brother and when the revolution came around none of them turned to the rebel side, they all remained as supporters of Big Brother. Plus when O'Brien made his speeches, they applauded and congratulated him whereas the audience were more timid and weren't enthusiastic in offering their congratulations. This shows that we were undoubtedly committed to the Big Brother regime. Also when the audience walked around the room to watch the workers researching peoples profiles they could clearly see that the work we were doing was in support of Big Brother.
The performance of O'Brien and the brainwashed citizens in the film version of 1984 influenced our piece greatly because it gave us the basic grounding for us to create our characters and the atmosphere that we wanted to create, by both using the characters created and the props and setting according to the themes we had identified. They gave us an idea of what, where and who our characters associated themselves with and we then developed that to fit into our own performance. We included some of the props that were used in the film including the wine bottles in O'Brien's office and the posters all around Airstrip One. Also the dull clothing of the citizens compared to the more classy attire of O'Brien created an interesting performance route for my group to investigate.
We are asked to think about many things when preparing our piece. We had to take in consideration other groups creative pathways, our own, the audience, the space we had and the story and message we wanted to convey through what we were doing. When creating a piece of immersive theatre, communication is key. You need to discuss with other groups their event timetables as your paths are sure to cross at some point during the course of the rehearsals and the performance itself. Therefore when planning our own schedule we needed to have an awareness of others also. Our space was key because depending on where you were put, there were different opportunities when planning your piece. Finally a story and message are key to any performance and therefore all of the elements I have just discussed needed to fit in with the story and message we wanted to create.
The difficult aspect of the performance was creating a complicated and detailed piece with as simple ideas as were possible. When creating a piece of multimedia for example you needed short cuts to perform the task needed without copious amounts of work and technical elements. When you start overcomplicating a performance, problems start occurring and when you don't have any spare time to waste, you need to have as little issues as possible and therefore simplicity was key.
My role was communicated by two main things: my personality and attitude, towards others and towards the audience and the costume I was wearing. My personality was very robotic, like what I was saying was a script that had already been written in my head by the government to say whatever they wanted me to. So when speaking to the audience I was calm and confident, with a friendly tone as I wanted to seem welcoming in a world was the opposite to that, something that I think put the audience on edge even more. However when talking to the other workers my tone showed that I thought that I was in some way superior to them and my sharp tone conveyed this. However when talking to O'Brien I was friendly, but without being disrespectful. My costume reinforced the idea that I thought I was above other citizens because like O'Brien I was wearing a suit which made me stand out from the crowd as a inner party member with some element of importance.
We staged our work around our props. As I had three rooms to prepare, we had a different structure to each. In the main room we had a seating area for the audience where they could watch the speeches. We had a row of computers and then as the main feature of the room, a podium on a raised platform. We had two doors entering the first back room and this let a flow of audience be constant. All the props in the first back room were pushed to the side which meant the audience walked through the middle and the second back room was mainly closed of to the audience, especially when there were people in there as it was O'Brien's office. This meant they just watched from the doorway and then exited when necessary. This layout allowed a constant flow of audience which made it easier for us as actors to perform.
We were asked to create a piece of multimedia theatre based on the story of 1984. According to the Assignment Brief my task was made up of four sections: to take part in multimedia workshops, rehearse our performance, perform our play and research to create our blog. All of these elements where key to creating a good performance and without one of them the rest didn't work or weren't as effective.
The topics, themes and issues we wanted to show in our performance of 1984 was the robotic state of the citizens of Airstrip One and their loyalty to Big Brother. We showed this through the characters in our room. Every single person was completely loyal to Big Brother and when the revolution came around none of them turned to the rebel side, they all remained as supporters of Big Brother. Plus when O'Brien made his speeches, they applauded and congratulated him whereas the audience were more timid and weren't enthusiastic in offering their congratulations. This shows that we were undoubtedly committed to the Big Brother regime. Also when the audience walked around the room to watch the workers researching peoples profiles they could clearly see that the work we were doing was in support of Big Brother.
The performance of O'Brien and the brainwashed citizens in the film version of 1984 influenced our piece greatly because it gave us the basic grounding for us to create our characters and the atmosphere that we wanted to create, by both using the characters created and the props and setting according to the themes we had identified. They gave us an idea of what, where and who our characters associated themselves with and we then developed that to fit into our own performance. We included some of the props that were used in the film including the wine bottles in O'Brien's office and the posters all around Airstrip One. Also the dull clothing of the citizens compared to the more classy attire of O'Brien created an interesting performance route for my group to investigate.
We are asked to think about many things when preparing our piece. We had to take in consideration other groups creative pathways, our own, the audience, the space we had and the story and message we wanted to convey through what we were doing. When creating a piece of immersive theatre, communication is key. You need to discuss with other groups their event timetables as your paths are sure to cross at some point during the course of the rehearsals and the performance itself. Therefore when planning our own schedule we needed to have an awareness of others also. Our space was key because depending on where you were put, there were different opportunities when planning your piece. Finally a story and message are key to any performance and therefore all of the elements I have just discussed needed to fit in with the story and message we wanted to create.
The difficult aspect of the performance was creating a complicated and detailed piece with as simple ideas as were possible. When creating a piece of multimedia for example you needed short cuts to perform the task needed without copious amounts of work and technical elements. When you start overcomplicating a performance, problems start occurring and when you don't have any spare time to waste, you need to have as little issues as possible and therefore simplicity was key.
My role was communicated by two main things: my personality and attitude, towards others and towards the audience and the costume I was wearing. My personality was very robotic, like what I was saying was a script that had already been written in my head by the government to say whatever they wanted me to. So when speaking to the audience I was calm and confident, with a friendly tone as I wanted to seem welcoming in a world was the opposite to that, something that I think put the audience on edge even more. However when talking to the other workers my tone showed that I thought that I was in some way superior to them and my sharp tone conveyed this. However when talking to O'Brien I was friendly, but without being disrespectful. My costume reinforced the idea that I thought I was above other citizens because like O'Brien I was wearing a suit which made me stand out from the crowd as a inner party member with some element of importance.
We staged our work around our props. As I had three rooms to prepare, we had a different structure to each. In the main room we had a seating area for the audience where they could watch the speeches. We had a row of computers and then as the main feature of the room, a podium on a raised platform. We had two doors entering the first back room and this let a flow of audience be constant. All the props in the first back room were pushed to the side which meant the audience walked through the middle and the second back room was mainly closed of to the audience, especially when there were people in there as it was O'Brien's office. This meant they just watched from the doorway and then exited when necessary. This layout allowed a constant flow of audience which made it easier for us as actors to perform.
O'Brien's Speech
O'Brien's speeches were a very important element when creating my groups and my personal timeline. Therefore we included several during the performance. They were an active event for the audience to witness and appreciate and it was a performance that, unlike some scenes, was more personal, as the speeches were aimed at the people listening.
O'Brien's Bunker Speech
My fellow comrades, I will not mock you by telling you not to be scared, as I know you are not threatened by boys trying to play men, which are all these rebel scum are. They will be spreading lies at this very moment, telling you that I am cowering inside his bunker, even that I am begging for my release and negotiating my surrender, yet let this message I send to you now, ring out across Airstrip One- I will never hide, I will never beg and I will never break. Let the rebels know that they will be the ones hiding away in fear, they will be the snivelling criminals begging for forgiveness and that we will break this rebel force piece my piece, bone by bone, thought by thought.
And to all those who are standing against Big Brother, know this. In this world there are people who live according to the rules and teachings of their father big Brother. A family unit that think, speak and do whatever it is they are needed to do, because they are soldiers, warriors, survivors. And then there is you. As useless as the ruins of the war, a bitter reminder of our deluded ancestors. You are cowards, deserters, criminals. And the biggest difference between you and us is that we will live and you won't. your worthless lives burnt into ashes that will scatter in the icy wind and become the dirt for our soldiers to stamp on. You will fail and we will win. You will fall and we will march on. We will survive and you will die.
At this very moment I am joined by my fellow soldiers and it is just a matter of time until we free ourselves from our captors and establish, once again, Big Brother as the leader of all. Join us in our fight my brothers and sisters. Fight the thought criminals, the toy soldiers, the pretenders. Join together and fight for your loving Big Brother. And remember the three foundations our ministry, our country, our world is built on: War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.
O'Brien's Bunker Speech
My fellow comrades, I will not mock you by telling you not to be scared, as I know you are not threatened by boys trying to play men, which are all these rebel scum are. They will be spreading lies at this very moment, telling you that I am cowering inside his bunker, even that I am begging for my release and negotiating my surrender, yet let this message I send to you now, ring out across Airstrip One- I will never hide, I will never beg and I will never break. Let the rebels know that they will be the ones hiding away in fear, they will be the snivelling criminals begging for forgiveness and that we will break this rebel force piece my piece, bone by bone, thought by thought.
And to all those who are standing against Big Brother, know this. In this world there are people who live according to the rules and teachings of their father big Brother. A family unit that think, speak and do whatever it is they are needed to do, because they are soldiers, warriors, survivors. And then there is you. As useless as the ruins of the war, a bitter reminder of our deluded ancestors. You are cowards, deserters, criminals. And the biggest difference between you and us is that we will live and you won't. your worthless lives burnt into ashes that will scatter in the icy wind and become the dirt for our soldiers to stamp on. You will fail and we will win. You will fall and we will march on. We will survive and you will die.
At this very moment I am joined by my fellow soldiers and it is just a matter of time until we free ourselves from our captors and establish, once again, Big Brother as the leader of all. Join us in our fight my brothers and sisters. Fight the thought criminals, the toy soldiers, the pretenders. Join together and fight for your loving Big Brother. And remember the three foundations our ministry, our country, our world is built on: War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.
Notes From Evaluation Lesson
Justify our use of Multimedia NOT the performance itself
Multimedia- the use of different technical elements. That can be visual, oral or aural. Lighting, sound, recording/video, songs, dance, props (edible and props the audience can handle), costume.
Normally multimedia supports the acting, but in this, the multimedia is as important as the acting. The play was multimedia. Like actors all the technical elements performed.
What worked- costume intrigued the audience. When they were wearing certain costumes they wanted to follow (boiler suits, anti-sex league, mackintoshes)
Light- lecture theatre. The lights were turned off to disorientate the audience and then they were led into a room with a bright board depicting the ingsoc logo.
Suspension of disbelief- the audience want to believe in the world of your play.
Sound- sound of the crying baby and depressing music in Stanley's room.
What didn't work- more time would be good but time is a luxury and when working on a large scale play, time is a certain luxury we don't have.
School building- institutional feeling. Sight specific- created a performance for just that building.
Food hall- sound of slogans. Projection of interviews on a loop. Poster covered walls. Labels on the ingredients.
101- projection of eye operation. Sound of baby. Bright flash light- creating heat and bright light, suffocating feeling, torture tools. Blood on the board and on the workers.
Stanley's apartment- hidden music player playing radio show on a loop and music. Video of training.
O'Brien's office- spotlight for speeches. Computers- prop and light. Dressing room costumes.
Space- projection, sound, lighting, X's on the floor.
Lecture theatre - Prezi. Lined up on the carpet lines.
Masks- put them on edge. They were hard to breath in. They made then feel alien and detached from us. The numbers took away there human qualities. Helped them buy into our world- disease and strict rules. Created performance opportunities- we could tell them off for not wearing them and call them by their number.
Idea for masks (and whole performance) from Punchdrunk in their performance. It allows the audience the freedom to perform.
Year 13- ushers. Both spectators and actors- 'spectators.'
TALK ABOUT ACTING BUT LINK TO MULTIMEDIA.
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
My Character
My Character is O'Brien's PA. My job will be tend to all his needs and run any errands for him. I want my character to be a party supporter but as I am a inner party member I know of everything that goes on inside the government system as I am directly involved. Therefore I want to be very robotic when talking to the audience, but with other party supporters I want to have a certain knowledge of the whole situation. I will always support everything the party proposes and will quickly stamp out any opposition by personally doing something or reporting the 'traitor' to my boss O'Brien. I think my character will be well spoken and stuck up when addressing everyone but O'Brien. As I work closely with O'Brien my character thinks they have an importance within the party and therefore everyone else is lower than them. When addressing O'Brien, however, I will be very polite, always addressing him as sir and never challenging his word and only giving my opinion when it is asked for. When the revolution takes place I will still remain a faithful party supporter and will suffer any consequences that come along with my loyalty.
I will be wearing a costume that reflects my job, status and persona. I will be wearing a black pencil skirt, white shirt, black blazer and black shoes. I will wear my hair in a neat bun and will always have a clipboard with me to take notes, collect information and list any jobs I need to perform.
I am happy with the character I have been given as I think I will be able to develop my character a lot. As I have a different view on the party and its members I have a different approach to party policy compared to the other supporters. I understand what goes on behind the scenes and I have helped in these happenings. I think the character has distinctive features that will make my character interesting and memorable.
Lesson Evaluation
Today we were clearing out our rooms to be able to set up our props for the performance the following week. My room consisted of three separate rooms, all of which required attention and details completely different for each individual room. Our main concern was the two back rooms we were in charge of as they were covered in props from previous performances. We needed to clear out these rooms to be able to start planning where and what we could put in the two rooms. This task was as hard as I had expected as the whole group and some people from other groups helped us clear the room out. Another concern was also moving the props out of our other working space once they had been moved from the back rooms. This task was also helped by other group members as they took some of the props we had cleared out for their room. Some of the props were kept by my group as we thought they would work well in the particular themes of our rooms.
For each individual room we had different themes and scenes that would take place in each room. For the main room we would have a computer room were workers would be constantly be looking at the profiles of the visitors and reporting their findings to O'Brien or myself. There would be a podium in that room for O'Brien to make his speeches and this podium may be raised so whoever enters will know the hierarchy of the world they have just entered. There will be a projector to project the digital doubles onto and any other information.
The first back room will be O'Brien's dressing room. We thought it would be an interesting and also slightly comical comparison to the dull lives of the other citizens by having rows of different coloured shirts, blazers, ties and shoes. It also shows that even though the ordinary citizens are told that everyone has the same as they are one unit, one mind, one mouth, one person, the inner party members have a more luxurious lifestyle, undermining the foundations the world of Airstrip One was built on.
The second back room will be O'Brien's office. This is where he will write his speeches and have his meetings. All his files and profiles will be here and other various documents available for the audience to look at. We also wanted to add some empty glasses and wine bottles as in the film, O'Brien is shown drinking wine, which in this world was a luxury unknown to the normal citizens. This would make interesting interactions when other characters come into both the back rooms as it will be a puzzling experience. they have rations on their food, clothes and necessities, whilst O'Brien has all the luxury a man could wish for.
After we had cleared out the rooms we had to decide where to put the props that we had found and the ones we had brought in ourselves.
Props List
Computer Room
Desks (6)
Chairs (5)
Wheeled chair
Computers/laptops (6)
Podium
Stand
Filing tray
Dictionary
Paper
Paper weight
Pot of pens
Dressing Room
Dressing Table
Mirror
Perfume
Make-up
Chair
Clothes rail
Suits and shoes
Ironing Board
Iron
Vase
Office
Desk
Chairs (2)
Filing tray
Filing cabinet
Posters
Bottles
Pen Pot
Snow Globe
Whiteboard
Map
Lamp
For each individual room we had different themes and scenes that would take place in each room. For the main room we would have a computer room were workers would be constantly be looking at the profiles of the visitors and reporting their findings to O'Brien or myself. There would be a podium in that room for O'Brien to make his speeches and this podium may be raised so whoever enters will know the hierarchy of the world they have just entered. There will be a projector to project the digital doubles onto and any other information.
The first back room will be O'Brien's dressing room. We thought it would be an interesting and also slightly comical comparison to the dull lives of the other citizens by having rows of different coloured shirts, blazers, ties and shoes. It also shows that even though the ordinary citizens are told that everyone has the same as they are one unit, one mind, one mouth, one person, the inner party members have a more luxurious lifestyle, undermining the foundations the world of Airstrip One was built on.
The second back room will be O'Brien's office. This is where he will write his speeches and have his meetings. All his files and profiles will be here and other various documents available for the audience to look at. We also wanted to add some empty glasses and wine bottles as in the film, O'Brien is shown drinking wine, which in this world was a luxury unknown to the normal citizens. This would make interesting interactions when other characters come into both the back rooms as it will be a puzzling experience. they have rations on their food, clothes and necessities, whilst O'Brien has all the luxury a man could wish for.
After we had cleared out the rooms we had to decide where to put the props that we had found and the ones we had brought in ourselves.
Props List
Computer Room
Desks (6)
Chairs (5)
Wheeled chair
Computers/laptops (6)
Podium
Stand
Filing tray
Dictionary
Paper
Paper weight
Pot of pens
Dressing Room
Dressing Table
Mirror
Perfume
Make-up
Chair
Clothes rail
Suits and shoes
Ironing Board
Iron
Vase
Office
Desk
Chairs (2)
Filing tray
Filing cabinet
Posters
Bottles
Pen Pot
Snow Globe
Whiteboard
Map
Lamp
Evaluation of the Lesson
Todays lesson was not a practical lesson, it was a planning lesson. Though not as exciting as performing, it is a key element when putting on a show. If you don't understand what, where and how you are doing a scene, more and more complications come to the surface at a time when you should be rehearsing and performing. As a group we had already created some scripts and props so when planning we took in to consideration what we had already planned, making our job easier than planning it all from scratch. We had to list props, key/dramatic moments and a timeline of when different moments of our scenes would take place. The performance starts at 18.45, after the audience are let out to roam and so we had to plan every detail from then to the final moment. Some of our original plans had to be scrapped, either because it overcomplicated the scene or didn't add anything to it and was perhaps at risk of taking away from the actual performance. We also had to take into consideration what other groups were doing. This is because as it is such a large scale performance, we will need to use other people in other rooms in out own scenes. Therefore we need to incorporate their ideas and timings into our own to make the scenes and importantly the transitions as smooth as possible. It was quite a difficult process especially due to the lack of communication between groups at times. Once you had planned your groups performance timetable it was harder to incorporate other ideas into them, but each and every group needed each other to help the performance have structure and a good storyline. After the lesson I know have a clear understanding of my timings and the timing of mine and other groups also.
My Groups Timetable:
18:45- preparation- preparing computers and dressing O'Brien.
19:00- O'Brien's first speech.
19:05- digital doubles.
19:20- O'Brien's second speech
19:25- USB smuggling.
19:30- mini revolution.
19.40- bunker speech.
19:45- break out from the bunker.
19:50- meeting in O'Brien's office.
20:00- Revolution.
My Timeline
18:45- in the Lecture Theatre/welcoming room collecting data of the visitors/audience.
19:00- take notes on O'Brien's speech.
19:05- feed information to the people running the computers to set up the digital doubles.
19:15- feed back to O'Brien on his speech and inform him of today's schedule.
19:20- take notes on O'Brien's speech.
19.25- feed back to O'Brien on his speech. When smuggler is discovered I will take him to a soldier to be taken away to Room 101.
19:30- get pushed into the bunker. Whilst inside I will help O'Brien write his bunker speech.
19:40- take notes on O'Brien's bunker speech.
19:45- break out of the bunker.
19:50- meeting in O'Brien's office.
20:00- revolution
During the preparation of the performance parts of each of these timelines may have to be changed.
My Groups Timetable:
18:45- preparation- preparing computers and dressing O'Brien.
19:00- O'Brien's first speech.
19:05- digital doubles.
19:20- O'Brien's second speech
19:25- USB smuggling.
19:30- mini revolution.
19.40- bunker speech.
19:45- break out from the bunker.
19:50- meeting in O'Brien's office.
20:00- Revolution.
My Timeline
18:45- in the Lecture Theatre/welcoming room collecting data of the visitors/audience.
19:00- take notes on O'Brien's speech.
19:05- feed information to the people running the computers to set up the digital doubles.
19:15- feed back to O'Brien on his speech and inform him of today's schedule.
19:20- take notes on O'Brien's speech.
19.25- feed back to O'Brien on his speech. When smuggler is discovered I will take him to a soldier to be taken away to Room 101.
19:30- get pushed into the bunker. Whilst inside I will help O'Brien write his bunker speech.
19:40- take notes on O'Brien's bunker speech.
19:45- break out of the bunker.
19:50- meeting in O'Brien's office.
20:00- revolution
During the preparation of the performance parts of each of these timelines may have to be changed.
Monday, 21 April 2014
Performance Timetable
415- (our room)
18.45- tech guys preparing and O'Brien dressing
19.00- O'Brien speech
19.10- digital doubles
19.25- half revolution
19.40- live broadcast
19.50- revolution. O'Brien and staff is paraded
411- (room 101)
18.45- thought police patrol and broken minded person.
19.00- victor interrogates/tortures Phillips 19.20- Phillips broken 19.25- USB torture 19.40- torture training 413- (canteen)
18.45- preparing food. 19.00- meal time 19.15- soup theif 19.25- poster talk 19.40- leaflets hidden under the soup- spark for the revolution 19.55- soup spill Outside- (training and public executions)
18.45- audience emerge to see person burst through the Fire Exit- mini protest 18.55- project insgoc video in the dance changing rooms 19.05- confession voiceover in corridors or in rooms 19.10- people singing song 19.20- teddy bear training/mini revolution 189.35- Fitness regime 19.50- defaced insgoc posters Rose gardens- (greenery)
18.45- Stanley and Rose meet 18.55- Rose giving speeches to particular audience members 19.05- Rose arrested 19.10- room 101 torture 19.25- Rose garden- audience are alone 19.55- revolution alert 20.00- love starts the revolution Lecture Theatre- (welcoming room)
18.30- audience will separate into two lines- men and women. Collect information- twitter, Facebook, DOB, names etc. 18.40- hand out the masks. Numbers on the masks. 18.50- Prezi of the rules Space- anti sex league- two times will have recruitment sessions- one at the beginning one at the end- times on flyers Two minute hate- 2 sessions- times advertised on posters and flyers When anti sex are in session, hate people will advertise and visa versa- 15 minute slots. 418 (Stanley's room)- a lot for audience to touch and witness/ things for the audience to discover. Stanley is always present Corridors- sweepers, speakers and runners.
One off rooms- get audience to take a letter to other places/locations. Tell them not to open, but if they do, put something interesting inside 
18.45- thought police patrol and broken minded person.
19.00- victor interrogates/tortures Phillips 19.20- Phillips broken 19.25- USB torture 19.40- torture training 413- (canteen)
18.45- preparing food. 19.00- meal time 19.15- soup theif 19.25- poster talk 19.40- leaflets hidden under the soup- spark for the revolution 19.55- soup spill Outside- (training and public executions)
18.45- audience emerge to see person burst through the Fire Exit- mini protest 18.55- project insgoc video in the dance changing rooms 19.05- confession voiceover in corridors or in rooms 19.10- people singing song 19.20- teddy bear training/mini revolution 189.35- Fitness regime 19.50- defaced insgoc posters Rose gardens- (greenery)
18.45- Stanley and Rose meet 18.55- Rose giving speeches to particular audience members 19.05- Rose arrested 19.10- room 101 torture 19.25- Rose garden- audience are alone 19.55- revolution alert 20.00- love starts the revolution Lecture Theatre- (welcoming room)
18.30- audience will separate into two lines- men and women. Collect information- twitter, Facebook, DOB, names etc. 18.40- hand out the masks. Numbers on the masks. 18.50- Prezi of the rules Space- anti sex league- two times will have recruitment sessions- one at the beginning one at the end- times on flyers Two minute hate- 2 sessions- times advertised on posters and flyers When anti sex are in session, hate people will advertise and visa versa- 15 minute slots. 418 (Stanley's room)- a lot for audience to touch and witness/ things for the audience to discover. Stanley is always present Corridors- sweepers, speakers and runners.
One off rooms- get audience to take a letter to other places/locations. Tell them not to open, but if they do, put something interesting inside
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
My Initial Reaction to 1984
My initial reaction to 1984 is quite a positive one, though I think it will take more research to understand the play fully. The story was written in 1948 by George Orwell and it was his vision of the future. George Orwell had lived through both World Wars so he had seen a lot of change occur in society and this may have played a part in forming his views that he expressed through his literature.
1984 is a vision of the future, where the government (Big Brother) is always watching the citizens that live under their control. Everyone is controlled and freedom of speech and thought are banned; they do the same jobs, eat the same food and see the same thing on the television screen each and everyday- screens that broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If anyone defies them, they are found and then either killed or turned into non rebellious members of society.
It is said that the story of 1984 is still relevant today and even that some of Orwell's predictions have come to pass. I agree with this statement partially. The idea that we are always watched can be related to today's society; we have cards that can track our locations and movements, there is CCTV in many public areas and governments can monitor our searches on line. This could mean that we don't have any privacy, similarly to the characters in 1984. However I don't think our situation is as drastic as the events in 1984.
I think the story is very interesting and contains a lot of dramatic potential, especially in the immersive form we are performing in. As we are conveying a whole world it is important that the audience are transported their fully and this style will allow us to do that. I also think it will be an interesting experience for all actors. When acting on stage, though your aim is to live in the moment, this style will bring that idea to life even more and we will be able to engage and interact even more.
The multimedia aspect of the performance both excites me and frightens me. I have never done a performance using the amount of multimedia that we are aiming to use. I predict that my main problem will be taking the ideas I have on paper and putting them into action. However the fact that we are working in groups means that I have support from people that know more about technology than I do. We are able to bounce of each other and all contribute ideas to the performance.
I am happy with the room I have been given. It has a lot of space that can be used for many different things, to create different moods and scenes for the audience to experience. As we have been given a space with three rooms in one, we can have different scenes flowing into each other, creating a more interactive environment for both the audience and the actors. I hope to be able to make my scene memorable and interesting allowing the audience to take away something from the scenes I have created and perhaps carry them on to other rooms.
1984 is a vision of the future, where the government (Big Brother) is always watching the citizens that live under their control. Everyone is controlled and freedom of speech and thought are banned; they do the same jobs, eat the same food and see the same thing on the television screen each and everyday- screens that broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If anyone defies them, they are found and then either killed or turned into non rebellious members of society.
It is said that the story of 1984 is still relevant today and even that some of Orwell's predictions have come to pass. I agree with this statement partially. The idea that we are always watched can be related to today's society; we have cards that can track our locations and movements, there is CCTV in many public areas and governments can monitor our searches on line. This could mean that we don't have any privacy, similarly to the characters in 1984. However I don't think our situation is as drastic as the events in 1984.
I think the story is very interesting and contains a lot of dramatic potential, especially in the immersive form we are performing in. As we are conveying a whole world it is important that the audience are transported their fully and this style will allow us to do that. I also think it will be an interesting experience for all actors. When acting on stage, though your aim is to live in the moment, this style will bring that idea to life even more and we will be able to engage and interact even more.
The multimedia aspect of the performance both excites me and frightens me. I have never done a performance using the amount of multimedia that we are aiming to use. I predict that my main problem will be taking the ideas I have on paper and putting them into action. However the fact that we are working in groups means that I have support from people that know more about technology than I do. We are able to bounce of each other and all contribute ideas to the performance.
I am happy with the room I have been given. It has a lot of space that can be used for many different things, to create different moods and scenes for the audience to experience. As we have been given a space with three rooms in one, we can have different scenes flowing into each other, creating a more interactive environment for both the audience and the actors. I hope to be able to make my scene memorable and interesting allowing the audience to take away something from the scenes I have created and perhaps carry them on to other rooms.
Multimedia- The National Theatre
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/multimedia
When doing research into projections used in professional performances, I found a link to the National Theatre website where they have a whole section linked into multimedia performances. Their articles range from advice on how to act in a multimedia performance and how to use projections effectively. As the National Theatre is a famous theatre, I am confident that it is a reliable source as they have put on many shows for many years and will therefore have experience in many versatile types of performances. Even though they are a major company that put on well know shows, the multimedia aspects aren't always as complicated as you think, so the advice they give from their plays are still relevant to ours.
Projections in Theatre
Projections can enhance a performance, yet they can also make them look messy if not presented properly. Here are two examples of professional uses of projections.
War Horse
In War Horse they have a large screen that covers the whole stage for the whole performance so they can project whenever to make the performance more effective for both the audience and actors. They have six projectors; 3 sets of two projectors. To create an image they turn of two sets of projectors and with the remaining two make the first layer of an image using a square grid. Then the next two are turned on and they project on top and finally the last set do the same. The projectors are set up on a curved circle front, then using media server technology, they run the show. Using this they can morph and distort the image so the picture the audience sees, is what they artist originally intended.
As we do not have as many resources as a show like War Horse, we may not be able to use the same software. However some of their work may help with our projections. For example, they only use 6 projectors for a wide stage and this creates a precise, refined image. As our stage is on an even smaller scale we could project on a whole wall using very few cameras.
Travelling Light
For this performance they used a camera and projector combined as one, a devise made in the 1890s. However they needed a way to show their projections to the audience. To do this they needed to plan the set, the costume and the story; all important elements when creating multimedia. They decided to do a film shoot to create a group of recordings- filming them almost like a real film. They filmed very simply on a film camera as they wanted an honest and real experience for the audience. However they could create inventive shots without a lot of work; the simplicity made the piece more impressive.
When preparing for our performance of 1984 it will be important to plan what we need to do thoroughly. If we don't, our multimedia may get too complicated as we won't have a clear idea of what we want to achieve. Also, like in travelling light, we need to take into consideration the story, costume and space to make our multimedia as effective and smooth running as possible.
War Horse
In War Horse they have a large screen that covers the whole stage for the whole performance so they can project whenever to make the performance more effective for both the audience and actors. They have six projectors; 3 sets of two projectors. To create an image they turn of two sets of projectors and with the remaining two make the first layer of an image using a square grid. Then the next two are turned on and they project on top and finally the last set do the same. The projectors are set up on a curved circle front, then using media server technology, they run the show. Using this they can morph and distort the image so the picture the audience sees, is what they artist originally intended.
As we do not have as many resources as a show like War Horse, we may not be able to use the same software. However some of their work may help with our projections. For example, they only use 6 projectors for a wide stage and this creates a precise, refined image. As our stage is on an even smaller scale we could project on a whole wall using very few cameras.
Travelling Light
For this performance they used a camera and projector combined as one, a devise made in the 1890s. However they needed a way to show their projections to the audience. To do this they needed to plan the set, the costume and the story; all important elements when creating multimedia. They decided to do a film shoot to create a group of recordings- filming them almost like a real film. They filmed very simply on a film camera as they wanted an honest and real experience for the audience. However they could create inventive shots without a lot of work; the simplicity made the piece more impressive.
When preparing for our performance of 1984 it will be important to plan what we need to do thoroughly. If we don't, our multimedia may get too complicated as we won't have a clear idea of what we want to achieve. Also, like in travelling light, we need to take into consideration the story, costume and space to make our multimedia as effective and smooth running as possible.
Punchdrunk and Dream Think Speak
Punchdrunk and dreamthinkspeak are both immersive theatre companies that have put on performances and work in styles that are similar to our performance of 1984. By looking at these companies and why they are so successful, we will be able to gain an understanding about how to make our performance enjoyable, educational and professional.
Punchdrunk
Punchdrunk is British immersive theatre company that allows the audience to go where they please and see whatever scene they want, allowing them to create their own story and for them all to leave the show with a different experience as they have all ultimately watched a different show. The performances are put on in a 5 story warehouse, creating a completely 'three dimensional' experience. They have performed plays ranging from Shakespeare to their current play The Drowned Man. Their current show is said to be their most ambitious performance to date and the audience are advised to immerse themselves and be bold and open minded.
This company links very closely to our performance and all the techniques, especially theatrical techniques used by Punchdrunk could be applied to our performance.
dreamthinkspeak
dreamthinkspeak are internationally recognised for their work linked to immersive theatre and claim credit for playing a key role into the introduction of this style of theatre. The performances include both live performance and films and installations as they aim to create a layered and ambitious piece. The locations for these performances have ranged from an underground abattoir in Clerkenwell to the Old Treasury Building in Perth, Australia.
This links well to our performance for both the performance and technical elements of the play. Their use of films and projections may help us create pieces of multimedia without making it overcomplicated or meaningless to the performance.
Punchdrunk
Punchdrunk is British immersive theatre company that allows the audience to go where they please and see whatever scene they want, allowing them to create their own story and for them all to leave the show with a different experience as they have all ultimately watched a different show. The performances are put on in a 5 story warehouse, creating a completely 'three dimensional' experience. They have performed plays ranging from Shakespeare to their current play The Drowned Man. Their current show is said to be their most ambitious performance to date and the audience are advised to immerse themselves and be bold and open minded.
This company links very closely to our performance and all the techniques, especially theatrical techniques used by Punchdrunk could be applied to our performance.
dreamthinkspeak
dreamthinkspeak are internationally recognised for their work linked to immersive theatre and claim credit for playing a key role into the introduction of this style of theatre. The performances include both live performance and films and installations as they aim to create a layered and ambitious piece. The locations for these performances have ranged from an underground abattoir in Clerkenwell to the Old Treasury Building in Perth, Australia.
This links well to our performance for both the performance and technical elements of the play. Their use of films and projections may help us create pieces of multimedia without making it overcomplicated or meaningless to the performance.
Monday, 7 April 2014
Room construction
We were given a certain room to create a scene inside and to set up. We had to think about assets and properties of the space plus multimedia opportunities. These locations need to link to the original story of 1984. My group was given O'Brien's office, meaning I need to research what O'Brien's office was like in the original story. I will need to establish what props and set is appropriate to the story and action. I need to work in three dimensions meaning I will need to consider and plan what happens inside and outside the room.
Our ideas
Have rows of tables with laptops and computers on them with people working at every desk, engrossed in their work. At the front their will be one desk standing alone with the main worker at the front. His screen will be projected onto a bigger screen, perhaps the wall behind them. The other workers will have files on their screen about the audience, that will be sent after the information is given at the front desk. If you have a file of someone that walks into the room, the worker may call over a security member, show them the file and then the security will take them away. When the revolution begins all screens will go black and an alarm bell will start ringing.
The back rooms will be two separate scenes. One will be O'Brien's dressing room. We thought it would be quite ironic that in a world were there is no privileges for normal people, we could show that some people, like O'Brien still have luxuries. The other room would be like a police room. There will be a map and wanted posters on the wall with people files and 'evidence' on a white board. There will be tables where we interview audience members.
Other Rooms
Room 101- videos on each wall of discomforting things. A box with someone gagged and bound inside. Strobe lights to make an intense atmosphere. Lull the audience into a false sense of security before they enter. Red liquid on the walls and lights. Files on torture techniques and last confessions.
Food hall- hidden cameras. Announcements in the food hall. If someone is whispering they'll be taken out for torture/interrogation. Food- soup in one big pot, bread. They will come in small portions. Bags of flour along the wall. Put couples on different tables making them mingle and get involved. One guard. Simple uniform.
Courtyard- directly after reception. The fire door from O'Brien's- someone will burst through and then be taken back in by guards. The audience will become alert. Dummy hung from the tree; could be an act of resistance. Scavengers in the bins.
Fitness area- people not getting involved will be taken away. Announcements and orders from the government. Revolution will start there.
Grass area- big space. When it's dark have lights on the floor, laying out a path for people. Little screams can be heard. Whilst people are being escorted back in, some will be taken of course by rebels. Restricted areas will be marked with police tape- makes sure audience do not get lost. Hidden cameras in the trees.
Have rows of tables with laptops and computers on them with people working at every desk, engrossed in their work. At the front their will be one desk standing alone with the main worker at the front. His screen will be projected onto a bigger screen, perhaps the wall behind them. The other workers will have files on their screen about the audience, that will be sent after the information is given at the front desk. If you have a file of someone that walks into the room, the worker may call over a security member, show them the file and then the security will take them away. When the revolution begins all screens will go black and an alarm bell will start ringing.
The back rooms will be two separate scenes. One will be O'Brien's dressing room. We thought it would be quite ironic that in a world were there is no privileges for normal people, we could show that some people, like O'Brien still have luxuries. The other room would be like a police room. There will be a map and wanted posters on the wall with people files and 'evidence' on a white board. There will be tables where we interview audience members.
Other Rooms
Room 101- videos on each wall of discomforting things. A box with someone gagged and bound inside. Strobe lights to make an intense atmosphere. Lull the audience into a false sense of security before they enter. Red liquid on the walls and lights. Files on torture techniques and last confessions.
Food hall- hidden cameras. Announcements in the food hall. If someone is whispering they'll be taken out for torture/interrogation. Food- soup in one big pot, bread. They will come in small portions. Bags of flour along the wall. Put couples on different tables making them mingle and get involved. One guard. Simple uniform.
Courtyard- directly after reception. The fire door from O'Brien's- someone will burst through and then be taken back in by guards. The audience will become alert. Dummy hung from the tree; could be an act of resistance. Scavengers in the bins.
Fitness area- people not getting involved will be taken away. Announcements and orders from the government. Revolution will start there.
Grass area- big space. When it's dark have lights on the floor, laying out a path for people. Little screams can be heard. Whilst people are being escorted back in, some will be taken of course by rebels. Restricted areas will be marked with police tape- makes sure audience do not get lost. Hidden cameras in the trees.
Friday, 4 April 2014
Today's notes
Locations- Lecture theatre, 418, 411, 415, 413, space and all hallways, greenery and space/outside area in between these locations.
It will be an immersive theatre experience. The piece will be audience led- they can come and go as they please. They are like a performer also. All audience members will wear surgical masks- creating effect and recognitionof the audience membrs for the other actors.
It will be an immersive theatre experience. The piece will be audience led- they can come and go as they please. They are like a performer also. All audience members will wear surgical masks- creating effect and recognitionof the audience membrs for the other actors.
The scenes will be detailed- sights, smells, sounds and touch. We create the set and props plus any other material in out own time.
Some scenes will incorporate audio, photographic, projected and live video multimedia.
Sound and lighting. will also play a key role. Smoke and set are all included under the umbrella of special effects.
The audience are their own storyteller/author. An empty room can still equal a story. They can read something (eg. a diary) creating a different experience for all audience members. They will all see a different play. Start in lecture theatre where they are given a mask and give their identity information. They are then released into the outside and allowed to roam.
Not 1984, 2050.
Strong beginning ^ and the end is a revolution. Small revolution in the middle stopped by the police.
The play will last an hour- a lot of material. Only one person may see a scene. They won't see everything.
Some scenes will incorporate audio, photographic, projected and live video multimedia.
Sound and lighting. will also play a key role. Smoke and set are all included under the umbrella of special effects.
The audience are their own storyteller/author. An empty room can still equal a story. They can read something (eg. a diary) creating a different experience for all audience members. They will all see a different play. Start in lecture theatre where they are given a mask and give their identity information. They are then released into the outside and allowed to roam.
Not 1984, 2050.
Strong beginning ^ and the end is a revolution. Small revolution in the middle stopped by the police.
The play will last an hour- a lot of material. Only one person may see a scene. They won't see everything.
Locations
411- 101- we could torture audience (eg. My dad hates injections.) Torture tools and a guide to torture.
418- Winston's home- diary halfeaten meal, clothes.
413- food hall. Being made by us and serving it to the actors and the audiences.
415- O'Brien's office. Files, video evidence of the audience- live feed. Digital doubles- filming as we walk around and then bring it back up.
Space- group hate room. Footage of rebels and we will have an aggressive hate towards them. Anyone who isn't hateful will be pulled out.
The hallways- computer screens on top of the lookers. Loud speaker give out speeches and reminders.
The lecture theatre- cold, business like room. Where the audience put masks on and give their details.
If they don't take part they will be put somewhere separate. That will be the end of their journey.
Audience are visitors to our world for the day. Perhaps government officials. We are polite yet cautious. They will be briefed before.
In between the blue block and main building- exercise area. In 1984 forced labor camps are named joy camps- backward meaning.
Greenery- were the rebels enlist the audience members.
418- Winston's home- diary halfeaten meal, clothes.
413- food hall. Being made by us and serving it to the actors and the audiences.
415- O'Brien's office. Files, video evidence of the audience- live feed. Digital doubles- filming as we walk around and then bring it back up.
Space- group hate room. Footage of rebels and we will have an aggressive hate towards them. Anyone who isn't hateful will be pulled out.
The hallways- computer screens on top of the lookers. Loud speaker give out speeches and reminders.
The lecture theatre- cold, business like room. Where the audience put masks on and give their details.
If they don't take part they will be put somewhere separate. That will be the end of their journey.
Audience are visitors to our world for the day. Perhaps government officials. We are polite yet cautious. They will be briefed before.
In between the blue block and main building- exercise area. In 1984 forced labor camps are named joy camps- backward meaning.
Greenery- were the rebels enlist the audience members.
Hope to expand our minds and our understanding of Theatre. Not linear; no beginning, middle or end.
Assets of the room- the light, entrances and exits, multimedia
opportunity.
Not a theatre show, real life.
Function of the room in the
performance.
We may play two characters at once- military turn rebel. When we hear the signal at the end we will turn on the other security.
O'Brien will die.
We will have a space to set up.
O'Brien will die.
We will have a space to set up.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Experimenting And Researching Multimedia Techniques
Our lesson this week was split into two parts; one part of experimenting with our ideas with the equipment in class and the other spent in the library, looking at books, including the script and on line with two editors to put it all on one blog.
I spent the first lesson experimenting with the equipment. This ranged from projectors (hand held and fixed,) computers and a video camera. In my group we came up with three experiments:
- a projection onto a blind of the big brother poster. Someone is going to sleep and when they pull the blind down the poster is there. Even when they're asleep, the government are still watching.
- project three different colours onto someones chest; red, green and white- red for faulse, green for true, white for scanning. Someone is being interviewed and scanned to read their inner thoughts.
- a live feed of everyone in jail and perhaps some tortures to remind people of what is in store if they become a thought criminal.
I enjoyed experimenting, mainly because it was a lot easier than I thought. if you can work with the individual equipment it is just a case of putting it together. I hope to use and develop ideas created in that lesson later in the unit.
In the other part of the lesson we went to the library to research multimedia theatre and elements of the play to accompany it. My job was to gather books from the library, take relevant information from them and give them to bloggers. I looked at a book that described how easy it was to mess up a piece of multimedia. Technology, as wonderful as it is, can have its faults. When preparing for a performance where multimedia is key therefore, you need to keep the projection or technical detail as simple as possible to avoid mistakes.
I also looked at costumes we could use that would be affective both to compliment the themes of the play and the projections that may be shown on actors. We chose simple t shirts and trousers, either in white or black. In the world of 1984 individuality was non existent so the colour scheme is simple and not eye catching and also is clear and visible when projecting on. It also doesn't highlight any particular era meaning that detail is flexible.
Saturday, 29 March 2014
First Lesson
In our first lesson of Theatre on 1984 we experimented with the themes of the play and applied what we'd learnt to scenes about the times and scenarios that the play are linked to.
We were given a picture of a women and a man in a kitchen with a suitcase on the table. Both their hands had joined together on top of the suitcase and were just touching. We were put into groups of three and we firstly had to create the 30 seconds before the still in the photo so we ended like the scene in the picture. Two people in the group were actors and the other person took on the role of the director. I was given the role of an actor alongside Toby with Fenton directing us. We imagined the scene as a goodbye between the two people; the man is going off to war and the women is trying to stop him. Realising it is no good they fill the silence with each others company whilst holding hands on top of the suitcase, realising what is in store for both of them.
To link this to 1984 we came up with the scenario that he was going to be placed in one of the governments fake wars. The women knows that the war is fake and is worried what will happen to him when he leaves. Even though she is doubtful about the war she can't say anything as they are always watched and to defy the government is to be a thought criminal. So her argument for him to stay has to be disguised by her words yet she hopes that he will understand her inner thoughts.
The first version of our scene had to have no words so it was very important that our movements, actions and eye contact conveyed our emotions. Eye contact was one of, if not the main element in this particular performance. As we couldn't talk as both actors and characters our eyes expressed a lot of our inner thoughts and emotions; our body could represent the story, but our eyes showed the emotion as a couple about to be separated, perhaps never to see each other again.
The second version of our scene was allowed to have words. It could be said that this made it easier to tell the story and convey the emotions, but if you worked the silence well you could hold the audiences attention and it made it more meaningful. However words can help add certain details to the performance that you can't show through your body.
The final version of our scene we had to put the director in as the child of the couple, but we couldn't rehearse, we just had to put them in and perform straight away. It wasn't too difficult because a child in that situation would either stay very quite or keep asking the mother and father questions. Either way it was quite easy to adapt to.
Fenton was a great director. He allowed us to suggest ideas and also suggested some himself. This created a good balance of giving and taking. This allowed us to do what we needed to do and also have a opinion of someone who was a substitute for an audience member. This allowed us to get an audience reaction before we actually performed. The fact that it was a friend meant that it didn't feel judgemental or mean, just honest and helpful.
We were given a picture of a women and a man in a kitchen with a suitcase on the table. Both their hands had joined together on top of the suitcase and were just touching. We were put into groups of three and we firstly had to create the 30 seconds before the still in the photo so we ended like the scene in the picture. Two people in the group were actors and the other person took on the role of the director. I was given the role of an actor alongside Toby with Fenton directing us. We imagined the scene as a goodbye between the two people; the man is going off to war and the women is trying to stop him. Realising it is no good they fill the silence with each others company whilst holding hands on top of the suitcase, realising what is in store for both of them.
To link this to 1984 we came up with the scenario that he was going to be placed in one of the governments fake wars. The women knows that the war is fake and is worried what will happen to him when he leaves. Even though she is doubtful about the war she can't say anything as they are always watched and to defy the government is to be a thought criminal. So her argument for him to stay has to be disguised by her words yet she hopes that he will understand her inner thoughts.
The first version of our scene had to have no words so it was very important that our movements, actions and eye contact conveyed our emotions. Eye contact was one of, if not the main element in this particular performance. As we couldn't talk as both actors and characters our eyes expressed a lot of our inner thoughts and emotions; our body could represent the story, but our eyes showed the emotion as a couple about to be separated, perhaps never to see each other again.
The second version of our scene was allowed to have words. It could be said that this made it easier to tell the story and convey the emotions, but if you worked the silence well you could hold the audiences attention and it made it more meaningful. However words can help add certain details to the performance that you can't show through your body.
The final version of our scene we had to put the director in as the child of the couple, but we couldn't rehearse, we just had to put them in and perform straight away. It wasn't too difficult because a child in that situation would either stay very quite or keep asking the mother and father questions. Either way it was quite easy to adapt to.
Fenton was a great director. He allowed us to suggest ideas and also suggested some himself. This created a good balance of giving and taking. This allowed us to do what we needed to do and also have a opinion of someone who was a substitute for an audience member. This allowed us to get an audience reaction before we actually performed. The fact that it was a friend meant that it didn't feel judgemental or mean, just honest and helpful.
Thursday, 27 March 2014
My Prezi
http://prezi.com/5g0qekxctbvx/untitled-prezi/
The tool Prezi is going to help me present my ideas for 1984. It is clear yet inventive and will be able to show my ideas linking in with my Multimedia performance. Prezi may also be a good tool to use in the real performance as it can be used to create projections and will swiftly project them for the audience to see. It can show locations; zooming in and out of a map for example. This will be similar to Blackout. There were many changes of scene and Prezi will help us show this efficiently and inventively. It can also help us present the idea of a constant watch from Big Brother as we will also be able to link back to that poster whenever we need it. It will literally be able to give the play three dimensions and give life to the world we are trying to create.
Multimedia is a new part of theatre and Prezi will be a way of embracing the modern skills that can be used when creating a play. It will be able to create a new story and new way of performance for both the experience of the actors and audience. I think it will be very interesting to use and experiment with.
Multimedia is a new part of theatre and Prezi will be a way of embracing the modern skills that can be used when creating a play. It will be able to create a new story and new way of performance for both the experience of the actors and audience. I think it will be very interesting to use and experiment with.
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